🧑‍🔬 How To Make Your Product Feel Special

Brand: Spoke

Psychology Concept: The Country Origin Effect

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🧪 The Country Origin Effect

The Country Origin Effect refers to the influence that a product’s perceived country of origin has on consumer opinions.

People associate certain countries with particular qualities (e.g., German engineering, Scandinavian design, Italian fabrics, Japanese technology, etc.). By linking products to these countries, brands can elevate their perceived value.

🤳 How Spoke Uses The Country Origin Effect

Spokes emphasize that their pants are crafted using “premium Italian cotton” and “the finest Swiss zips.”

By highlighting these specific countries—Italy for its reputation in high-quality fabrics and Switzerland for precision and high standards—Spoke positions its products as premium and desirable, leveraging consumers' perceptions of those nations' strengths.

🧠 How You Can Use The Country Origin Effect

The key to using the Country Origin Effect is to align your product with countries that have a strong reputation in industries relevant to your product.

Before you exit out of this email thinking this concept doesn’t apply to your business, here’s how you can apply it in your ads including some ideas if your product isn’t made somewhere “special”:

• Highlight Where Your Product is Made or Sourced: If your materials or production processes come from countries known for excellence, call that out in your ad. Even if only part of your product is sourced from a reputable country, feature that detail prominently. For instance, “Designed in New York, powered by German innovation.”

• Focus on Your Copy: Showcase the expertise associated with the origin. For instance, “Handcrafted in Italy” signals higher-quality craftsmanship, rather than just “Made in Italy.”

• Leverage the Founder’s Heritage: If the founder has any personal or cultural connection to a country known for high quality in your product category, play that up. For example, “Swiss-Created.”

• Draw on Travel or Design Inspiration: Even if the product wasn’t physically made in a specific country, you can say it was “inspired by” or “imagined in” to evoke certain qualities that align with your brand. For example, “Inspired by Parisian cuisine.”

• Focus on Design Philosophies: Instead of manufacturing, highlight the design process. For example, “Scandinavian Design Brought To Your Home.”

And if you’re running ads in the country where the product is made, you should highlight that in those ads. For example, I’m based in Canada and if an ad says “Made in Canada”, it immediately grabs my attention.

Of course, always ensure your claims are genuine and verifiable. Authenticity is crucial for building trust.